Ch.157Learning About NPCs. (6)

Is this what I endured the trial for? It’s depressing and fills me with self-loathing.

“What exactly is it that you find so disagreeable?”

“…I used to make 800 cans per week.”

Everywhere we went, everyone treated this guy with excessive politeness and smiles, casually mentioning his wealth as if it were only natural. After witnessing this scene multiple times, I was sinking into a mix of inferiority and irritation.

Seriously, what’s the difference between him and me? Why did only my sister and I have to live through such humiliation?! Why do people treat him so well even though he’s a beast-fucker?!!

“…800 cans per week? Can someone actually survive on that?”

“We couldn’t, that’s why I ran away. My sister was already small and fragile, and she couldn’t even get proper nutrition because we were starving.”

“I see. That finally makes some sense.”

The guy nodded as he chewed on a meat skewer purchased from the village—no, the city—while listening to my story. I took a bite of the skewer he bought me.

…This is something Ira would enjoy.

“So, why did you come down to the village?”

“…Because I need to finish this quickly.”

It’s clear that this trial world wasn’t created with me as the reference point. No, my thinking on that has started to shift.

Perhaps this world is a parallel universe to [Eight]. It seems like a world walking an entirely different past and future from ours.

‘…Then, how am I supposed to get back? If I complete the trial, will I naturally return?’

Honestly, I’m anxious. The supreme water elemental told me that the trial she was giving me was the trial of [Circulation]. However, since coming here, I haven’t been able to figure out what exactly is meant by circulation.

At the very least, I think meeting “myself” was a starting bug.

So I’m just moving forward without a clear plan. I can’t remain trapped in this world forever, and I have somewhere I need to return to. At the very least…

“Oh my, Miho, did you shed your fur? You look healthy!”

“Grrrr~”

“Hehe. I’m glad you’re getting along well with Jack…”

…The possibility of my mind accepting this world where bestiality is normalized approaches zero.

Middle-aged women in the center of the village chatting with Miho as they pet her, and the white tiger purring contentedly as she accepts their touches. What the hell am I witnessing?

If I get trapped here, I’ll die from gestalt collapse before reality collapses. Seriously, this place is my death zone.

“You’ve been saying this world is strange…”

“Huh? What did I say?”

“You were muttering to yourself. Loud enough for me to hear.”

“…I see.”

“So, to get back to the point. You keep saying we’re strange, but honestly, I don’t understand you.”

Apparently, I had spoken my thoughts aloud. The forest keeper—no, the beast-keeper—began speaking quietly so others wouldn’t hear.

“From the beginning, the history of forest keepers has been intertwined with the mountains. And in this Eight continent, forest keepers have always lived as one with the creatures of the mountains.”

“I don’t think that ‘one’ means what you think it means…”

“What’s wrong with that kind of oneness?”

“…At the very least, your partner should be human.”

“Are you some kind of species discriminator?”

“Look, beasts aren’t just a different species, they’re an entirely different kind…”

“You mentioned earlier that the Miho you know is a beast-person.”

“No. Miho is a beast-person (人), not just a beast. She’s still a person, and besides, I never had that kind of relationship with her…”

“The history of beast-people began with the intertwining of humans and elementals, elementals and beasts, beasts and humans—their blood, flesh, and magic. Does your world not know this?”

“……”

Oh, I know. I know all too well. The water elemental Naiad personally gave me a history lesson before I came here.

It’s a truth I sincerely wish I didn’t know, and even now I want to scream that I never heard it.

I threw away my finished skewer and covered my face with both hands, while he continued speaking.

“I have no magic. But Miho has strong magic.”

“So what?”

“As you can see, Miho is a beast capable of communicating with humans.”

“All I hear is growling, snarling, and purring.”

“Even that’s enough for her to converse with those women who have so little magic.”

After saying that, he smiled slightly at Miho, who was now rolling on her back like a dog and purring among the women who were fawning over her.

…Sigh. So what am I supposed to do about it?

“If Miho and I have a child, that child would surely be born as a beast-person.”

“Is that so? Fuck, but why do I need to hear about this…”

“You mentioned the trial of circulation earlier, didn’t you?”

“…Did I say that?”

“You muttered it to yourself.”

My thoughts seem to be accelerating, and now my mouth is causing trouble? And what exactly are you trying to say?

I glared at him with irritation, but he ignored me and continued speaking while looking only at the tiger, Miho.

“Assuming everything you’ve said is true, if you really came from such a world, aren’t you here to fix the ‘distorted’ circulation of that world?”

“What? From my perspective, by our world’s standards, this place is the distorted one.”

“If this place seems distorted by your world’s standards, then it’s obvious.”

“…What is?”

“In your world, beast-people and other races must all be minorities.”

“…That’s not… Well, even if that’s true? Are you saying I should engage in bestiality like you in my world?”

“Not everyone has to be like me. Even in this world, there are those who find mating with beasts distasteful.”

“That would be me.”

“…But you, as a forest keeper, shouldn’t be that way.”

“Oh shit. More philosophical nonsense…”

“All living beings born in the mountains eventually return to the mountains.”

“……”

I’ve heard that somewhere before.

After saying that, he got up and went to greet the women who were now practically playing with the white tiger, then brought her back to my side.

“I don’t know about your father, but my father at least taught me the meaning and significance of these words before he passed away.”

“…Hah. Is that so.”

Having said all he wanted to say to me, he turned away with the white tiger, mentioning something about buying potions. I watched him leave, my mind spinning.

As he said, most non-human races in my world are minorities. And considering what Naiad said before I came here… though I hate to admit it, the common sense of this place might actually be correct. But still.

“…No, even so… no matter what, bestiality is just…!!”

I can understand different species of beast-people.

And even though I don’t particularly like it, I could try to understand furries too!!

But actual beasts?! I don’t think that’s right?!! That was a crime in my previous life!! It’s abuse!! I don’t know who’s being abused, but it’s just abuse!!!

Sincerely hoping that the strange scenario that guy predicted isn’t the goal of this trial, I got up from my seat.

Anyway, there’s no reason to just sit here thinking these stupid thoughts. He went off to do his business, and I’m alone now.

So, what I need to do now is…

“…I need to check that room.”

I recalled the conversation from earlier at the cabin.

He said he didn’t have a younger sister, and that he didn’t know Ira.

But there was definitely a room in that cabin that belonged to Ira, and for some reason, I’ve been wanting to open the door to that room.

“God, please, just this once, let my intuition be right.”

And before our conversation started earlier, whether intentional or not, he prevented me from approaching that room. Because of that, my questions about the room have only continued to pile up.

Yes. This seems much more like a proper trial than some fake human complementation plan to turn the whole world into furries. Please let it be this!

I ran quickly, keeping my hood from falling off, passed through the city gates, and headed toward his cabin. As I was running…

-Clang!! Clang!! Clang!!

…A loud bell sound, like a civil defense drill, came from the city. Hmm, did they install a bell to tell time now that the village has become a city?

[Kee⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!]

“…That can’t be it.”

There’s no reason a time-telling bell would make such an irritating sound.

And the screams that sound almost like wailing, coming from all around as the bell rings—this is unmistakable.

“Why are demons appearing again at this timing? Could it be…”

…Maybe they appeared because that guy was supposed to go on patrol but didn’t?

As I was running toward the cabin, I began to see several demons in the distance. Fortunately, or unfortunately, they weren’t the many-armed demons I faced earlier, but rather the low-level demon mobs I’d seen in the game.

But judging by the timing, it’s almost as if they appeared to prevent me from reaching the cabin. So, was this the right choice after all?

I clenched my fist and charged toward the low-level demons, feeling like I was finally on the right track.

“Found you!!!”

[ㅊ#k@wㅇk$Tㄷ%k]

-Whoosh!!!

“Ugh?!!”

A voice from above my head, and a feeling that I needed to dodge immediately made me roll backward hastily. I looked at the figure that had landed with a cloud of dust where I had been running.

Found me? Was someone targeting me? Who is it?

I never imagined there would be someone targeting “me” in this world. Could this be the goal of the tri—

[(!)퀘t#%mx^&ㅡ : Kill the opponent in front of you without e!o#gh%k.]

-Flap!!

“I finally found you!! I came to adopt a forest keeper too~!!! My darling~♡♡”

A status window suddenly appeared, but it was strangely glitched. The being that appeared before me flapped its large black wings, dispersing the dust around us, and uttered strange words.

And hearing that, I…

“…What?”

I could only respond with a stupid question.

Facing this incomprehensible situation, I stared at the unknown woman who had appeared before me.

“Ahahaha! If you don’t want to be adopted by me, I’m totally OK with you adopting me instead!♡ How about it? Right now you can have a demon of the seven deadly sins, blind with love! Thrilling with lust!! Full of affection?~♥”

This woman… no, this being who calls herself a demon of the seven deadly sins. However…

“…Wow, I never thought I’d actually see a completely mosaic-censored being in real life.”

What is this? Is her very existence rated R? This woman—no, demon—who’s talking freely.

Yet her entire body, like the status window that barely appeared before my eyes, was full of noise.